The purpose of this study was to compare the multiple intelligence (MI) profiles of college undergraduate singers and non-singers in an effort to define patterns attributed to singing involvement, age, gender, and ethnicity, and to determine if these patterns old significance for teachers of singing. This study consisted of 233 subjects from three mid-west colleges. The MIDAS® (Multiple Intelligence Development Assessment Scales) instrument was used to determine the profiles of the eight specific areas of intelligence: verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and naturalist. Evaluation of the hypotheses resulted in the following conclusions:1. Differences exist in the multiple intelligence mean profiles of singers and non-singers with significant findings in the areas of musical intelligence (p =.000) and linguistic intelligence (p = .012). In both cases, singers scored significantly higher than non- singers. Further analysis indicates that the difference in linguistic intelligence is attributable to the male subjects only.2. No significant differences exist in the means of singers' MI profiles with respect to age.3. Significant differences exist between the means of singers' gender with respect to multiple intelligences as measured by the MIDAS in the areas of mathematical/logical intelligence (p = .021) and intrapersonal (p =.004) intelligence. Males scored significantly higher in both areas.4. Significant interactions exist between singers' and non-singers' gender and age (p =. 028) in spatial intelligence. The mean scores indicate that female spatial mean scores are higher with age and male spatial mean scores are lower with age.5. Significant interactions exist between singing involvement and age in intrapersonal intelligence (p =.033). Mean scores reveal that non-singers' intrapersonal mean scores are higher with age while singers' scores are lower with age.These findings suggest that MI profiles can be used by teachers of singing to create increasingly effective and individualized curriculum models. Singers' MI profiles are determined, ranking highest to lowest, as: musical, interpersonal, linguistic, intrapersonal, spatial, logical-mathematical, kinesthetic, and naturalist. Practical and specific suggestions for MI method implementation are offered. Further research is suggested for the ongoing development of MI-based voice curriculum and materials. / School of Music

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of developing a theory in vocal pedagogy, voiception, which could provide teaching techniques with tangibility for gaining control of both voluntary and involuntary functions of the singing act. This study appears to show that feeling tone and cognition are innately involved with singing, since the vocal instrument is actually a part of the singer. Analysis of the sung vowel through the singing sensation is the connecting link for gaining control of involuntary vocal functions.

Mental imagery is a common theme in research that clarifies how musical thought relates to musical performance. Unfortunately, minimal information exists regarding mental imagery and singers. The purpose of this study was to probe the role, if any, mental imagery plays in the conceptualization of pitch and vowel. By interviewing singers at differing levels of expertise, basic information was obtained about the mental processes used by singers. Through evaluations of the singers' mental processes, it was concluded that 95% of the singers in the study employed mental imagery. All singers described using kinesthetic imagery, while the majority implemented sensory and auditory imagery. Viso-spatial imagery was implemented among the more experienced singers. The majority of singers also reported: imaging pitch and vowel interactively; imaging from an internal perspective; and utilizing mental rehearsal. Less than half of the singers described using methods other than mental imagery to conceptualize pitch and vowel.